10 favorite guitarists/ most influential bands

[AySay]

Guitarists
John Petrucci: I luvz him soo much i buyed his geetar, but i are not gay
Mikael Akerfeldt: i steal his clean/acoustic guitar parts and put them in my songs
Bulb: Misha is so cool he is named after mans greatest discovery (eternal fire in a ball)

Bands
Dream Theater: The best kind of prog metal!
Opeth: progressive death metal my parents can like...at times!
Symphony Xrogressive cheese metal!
Nevermore:"1234 riff " (not too)progressive metal!
Meshuggah:WTF prog metal!
Bulb/Periphery:WTF prog metal, but catchier!

Yeah thats all for me.

 

[distressed_romeo]

Guitarists who've had the biggest effect on my style, but aren't necessarily the ones I listen to most:

Steve Vai (pretty much everything...when I first heard him it sounded like the music was coming from another planet)
Jeff Beck (phrasing, bar technique and improvisational brilliance)
Michael Hedges (made me completely rethink my acoustic playing)
Derek Taylor (for modern legato techniques)
Allan Holdsworth (tone, bar technique, chordal playing, legato technique and phrasing)
Dino Cazares (riffing and rhythm playing)
Pat Metheny (pretty much everything)
Paul Gilbert (picking technique)
Shawn Lane (wierd note groupings, wide intervals, bar technique and phrasing)

I'd say those are the ones who've had the most obvious influence on my style. I haven't included guys who were influences later for similar stuff (i.e. Shawn Lane made the list rather than Rusty Cooley, and Michael Hedges made it rather than Kaki King and Preston Reed, Dino made the list rather than Meshuggah, etc.). I f I could I'd add Alex Lifeson for his influence on my rhythm style, and Marty Friedman for his exoticism. Randy Rhoads was my first guitar hero, and Nick Drake and Jimmy Page were my first inspirations for picking up the acoustic.

In terms of bands...

All About Eve
Dream Theater
Cynic
Rush
Devil Doll
Morbid Angel
Christian Death
Nevermore
Fields of the Nephilim
Queensryche

I'd add Paradise Lost if I could...

Newer guys I love to listen to...

Rusty Cooley
Jeff Loomis
Frederik Thordendal
Stephan Forte
Mikael Akefeldt
Mathias Eklundh
Michael Romeo
Mike Walsh from the Hess band
Chris Broderick
Santiago Dobles

 

[kershyboy]

Guitarists

Devin Townsend
John Petrucci
Steve Vai
Alex Skolnick
Paul Gilbert
Dimebag
Pin
Jeff Loomis

Bands
Devin Townsend & The Devin Townsend Band)
Opeth
SYL
Dream Theater
Sikth
Testament
Tool
Judas Priest
Nevermore

and many more...

 

[Edroz]

top 10 guitarists for me off the top of my head...

1. Yngwie Malmsteen (most definitely #1)
2. Andy Laroque
3. Pete Blakk
4. Glen Tipton
5. John Sykes
6. Tony Iommi
7. Neal Schon
8. Jason Becker
9. Chris Poland
10. Marty Friedman

if you asked me again next week, the list would probably be totally different .

and as far as favorite bands, i wouldn't even know where to start...

 

[TMatt142]

In no specific order....

George Lynch
Joe Satriani
Steve Vai
Steve Morse
John Petrucci
Eric Johnson
Devin Townsend
Greg Howe
Ronnie Le Tekro
Paul Gilbert

no bands....

 

[DelfinoPie]

In no particular order:...

Guitarists

Marty Friedman
Joe Satriani
Adam Jones
David Gilmour
Buckethead
Robert Fripp
Tony Iommi
Jimi Hendrix
Stephen Carpenter
Paul Gilbert

Bands

Tool
Deftones
David Bowie
The Kinks
Ozric Tentacles
Dizzy Gillespie & His Orchestra
Fourplay
Judas Priest
Black Sabbath
Skid Row

 

[klami]

Gutarists:

Daniel Gildenlow
John Petrucci
Paul Gilbert
Satriani
Fredrik Thordendal
Mattias Eklundh

There are more but I don't have the brain right now to remember everyone..


Bands:

Pain of salvation
Meshuggah
In flames
Freak Kitchen
Mercenary
Metallica (I only mention this because they got me into guitars)
Vamp w/KORK

I hate these threads, I can't think of anything now!! Ah, my brain is not made for forums...

 

[dougsteele]

Guitarists: EVH, Lynch, Gilbert, Howe, Holdsworth, Becker, both Zappas.

Bands: ELP, Meshuggah, Frank Zappa, SYL, VH, KISS, Cocteau Twins, Tears for Fears, Thomas Dolby, the list goes on and on..

 

[GiantBaba]

Nice thread. Good to see some diversity in taste.

Guitar players:
Fripp (The best, completely untouchable)
*huge gap*
Tony Iommi
Daniel Ash (Bauhaus, Love & Rockets, Tones on Tail)
David Torn
The Greenwoods (radiohead)

To me though, most every guitar player and musician are equals, whether they're a technical master or just starting out. Making music is a good thing, and very few people really stand out in my mind.

I like a million bands and artists so I'll keep that limited to my very favorites:

Japan and its' offshoots/members (Mick Karn, David Sylvian)
Bauhaus and its' offshoots (Peter Murphy, Dali's Car, Tones on Tail, Love & Rockets)
Misfits
The Cramps
The Cure
radiohead
The Damned
Jesus & Mary Chain
Echo & the Bunnymen (also Ian McCulloch)
Black Sabbath

 

[chaztrip]

In no order

Steve Vai
Eddie Van Halen
Prince
Jeff Loomis
Stevie Ray Vaughn
Tommy Emmanuel
Mikael Akferdeldt
Fripp
John Petrucci
Chuck Schuldiner


Death
KMFDM
Prince
Nevermore
Ministry
Opeth
Dream Theater
Metallica
Tommy Emmanuel
and anything that has the Devy in it...

 

[MerlinTKD]

The tough thing about listing influences is not only do they change from day to day, depending on what wants to come out, but they're ongoing! A lifetime of influences is hard to pare down! Since I'm a drummer, my influences tend to be in rhythm and songwriting, rather than lead - I love a good lead player, but it usually doesn't move me the way a good riff or song will.

Guitarists: Listing those who have made me want to emulate them, directly. Whether I can or not is another question!

John Connolly / Clint Lowery
Sahaj / Ben Carroll
Paul Masvidal
SRV
Misha Mansoor
James Hetfield
KK Downing / Glenn Tipton
Pat Metheny (for ridiculously smooth tone)
Angus Young / Malcolm Young



Bands: The list is endless, but...

Sevendust
RA
Periphery
Cynic
Metallica (everything through Load... yes, Load )
Bela Fleck & the Flecktones
Tool
Cowboy Mouth
AC/DC


And just for fun... DRUMMERS!

Neal Peart
Morgan Rose
Sean Reinart
Joe Morello
Frank Beard
Phil Rudd
Nicko McBrain
Dave Weckl
Peter Erskine
Fred LeBlanc
...and the beat goes on, and on, and on...

 

[Obscura]

I'll list my top 10 guitar influences (I'm sure I am different to most here, shred style virtuosity isn't my style [it's still good in moderation though]);
Luc Lemay (Gorguts)
Trey Azagthoth (Morbid Angel)
Tont Iommi (Black Sabbath)
Johnny Winter
Omar Rodriguez-Lopez (At the Drive-In, The Mars Volta)
John McLaughlin
Steve Howe (Yes)
David Gilmour
Syd Barrett
Fredrik Thordendal / Mårten Hagström

As for music that influences me, all of the music related to the guitarists above, and a heap more. Miles Davis, Béla Bartók, The Shins, Peter Gabriel, Kate Bush, Napalm Death, John Cage, blah blah blah etc.

 

[ArchAngel1024]

my most influential guitarists/dands are probbably:

Adam Jones (and Tool in general)
Steve Vai
Joe Satriani
Fears For Tears (my dad listened to them a lot when I was little, so it's an influence that I found out about a few weeks ago, and I love the music)
Jimi Hendrix
Stevie Ray Vaughn (Same as FfT)
John Petrucci
Modest Mouse (The I use phrasings on guitar/vocals from these guys occasionally)
They Might Be Giants
Rush

 

[JoeyTRabbit]

John Norum
James Hetfield
Kee Marcello
Nikolo Kotzev
Billy Squier
Neal Schon
George Tickner
Joey Tempest
Yngwie Malmsteen
Kirk Hammet

 

[Ancestor]

Randy
Vivian Campbell
Lynch
Yng
Jimi
Eddie
Angus
Allen West
Trey Azagthoth

 

[Ancestor]

I started playing 36 years ago, so my influences are more "dated"!

First and foremost is Peter Frampton, right down to getting a 3 pickup Les Paul(which is about 2 feet away from me). If you get a chance to hear some of his soloing on Humble Pie's live albums, you'll get the idea.

Also, Little Stevie Marriott, the other Humble pie guitarist, and devout Les Paul junior player. He could coax the absolute evil out of that one P90 pickup.

Leslie West from the group Mountain, another LP Jr player that just made that thing sing.

The three guys listed have made album sides that were just one song with 20 minutes of soloing, and never lost my interest, as they changed textures and feelings throughout.

Buck Dharma/ Blue Oyster Cult used interesting riffs when much else on the rock front was pretty boring.

Andy from Gang of Four had a really great crashing style of chord playing.

Geordie/ Killing Joke for nasty use of dissonance(listen to Revelations).

I guess that I am influenced a lot by great rhythym players as well as soloists.

have you seen that geico commercial with frampton in it? pretty awesome. he's even better than joe walsh with that talk box. probably the best of anyone i've heard.

 

[spinecast213]

morbid angel
suffocation
behemoth
slayer
pantera

these bands influenced me more than anything. and i guess i should mention early metallica.

 

[auxioluck]

Guitarists: (Regardless of my tastes, in no particular order)
1. Dimebag Darrell
2. Jerry Cantrell
3. Steve Vai
4. Zakk Wylde
5. John Petrucci
6. Joe Satriani
7. Jimmy Page
8. Tony Iommi
9. Yngwie Malmsteen
10. Jimi Hendrix

With an honorable mention to Greg Howe, Angus Young and Stevie Ray Vaughn.

Bands: (Again, with no regard to my taste, and in no order)
1. Pantera
2. Slayer
3. Led Zeppelin
4. Megadeth
5. AC/DC
6. Black Sabbath/Ozzy
7. Judas Priest
8. Rush
9. Iron Maiden
10. Metallica

With an honorable mention to Dream Theater, Bad Religion, Guns & Roses, Motley Crue, Pearl Jam, Fugazi, Faith no More, Nirvana, and Alice in Chains.

These are more general influentialists....yes, its a word. Not really MY influences, but an overall perspective for everyone. At least, the people I saw while working in a music store.

 

[canuck brian]

No Order...

Paul Gilbert
John Petrucci
Kirk Hammett
Jeff Loomis
Joe Satriani
Dave Mustaine
Marty Friedman
Derek Taylor
Devin Townsend
Alex Skolnik

Bands

Slayer
Testament
Nevermore
Dream Theater
Carcass
Metallica
Megadeth
Cynic
Meshuggah
Crimeny

 

[Unknown Doodl3.2]

ATM:

Guitarists:

Luc Lemay (Gorguts)
Jeff Loomis (Nevermore)
Jason Becker
Mathieu Marcotte (Augury, Humanoid)
Dan Mongrain (Martyr)
Muhammed Suicmez (Necrophagist)
Steve Vai

Bands/influences:

Augury
Gorguts
Nevermore
Martyr
Necrophagist
Death
Opeth
Lykathea Aflame
Cryptopsy
Sergei Prokofiev